Cast members – who come from the U.S., Ireland and England – are as young as 21 and as old as 35, and notables include J.J. Ambrose, Jonathan Brookins, Mike Budnik, Nam Phan, Ariel Sexton and others who have big-stage experience.

As with the most recent season of the UFC’s long-running reality series, “TUF 12″ uses a 32-slot, 28-man tournament format. The group was cut in half by an immediate elimination-round of fights, and the remaining 14 fighters comprise the show’s official cast. Two of the 14 fighters who lose in the first round get second chances in the tournament’s second round as “wild card” picks. (Kris McCray, who competed on “TUF 11,” was the show’s runner-up after capitalizing on his wild-card status.)

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